SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/ham-ssb-weak-signal-vhf

Which voice mode is often used for long-distance, weak signal contacts on VHF and UHF?

SSB, single sideband.

  1. FM
  2. SSB ✔
  3. PM

Why: Single sideband puts all its power into a narrow signal, so it works much better than FM when signals are weak and far away.

Huh, didn't know that: The ARRL 2-meter band plan lists 144.200 MHz as the national calling frequency, inside the SSB segment.

The dad joke
Why did the SSB signal win the long-distance race? It traveled light, with only one side bag.
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Sources

  1. NCVEC 2026-2030 Technician Question Pool (Feb 19, 2026 release) https://www.ncvec.org/downloads/2026-2030%20Technician%20Pool%20and%20Syllabus%20Public%20Release%20Feb%2019%202026.pdf

Test yourself in the game

Ham RadioWhich sideband is normally used for 10-meter HF, VHF, and UHF single-sideband communications?Ham RadioWhat is the approximate bandwidth of a typical single sideband voice signal?Ham RadioWhich frequency is inside the 6-meter amateur band?

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